Technology Inquiry Project, Post #1: Bridging the Gap

Bethany and I have started to generate some ideas for our Tech Inquiry Project! We decided to explore what roles (if any) networking technologies can play in outdoor education. At first glance, networking technology and outdoor education seem like binary opposites. I remember watching TV while my mom lectured me about how kids nowadays spend way too much darn time looking at screens, before forcing me to go play outside. More recently, I’ve noticed that even the thought of incorporating networking technology into everyday classroom practices often triggers a moral dilemma for some of my peers in the BEd program. On the other hand, I’ve never heard anybody complain about children spending too much time outside. So the question remains: Is networking technology the arch nemesis of outdoor education, kidnapping children from authentic, real world experiences and interactions? Bethany and I want to bridge this gap by discovering purposeful ways for students to enjoy both simultaneously. Follow us on our journey as we dig up research and even put activities like Geocaching and QuestaGame to the test. Until next week!